Samuel  L.    G-erould 


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JfcjThe   New  England   Meeting  House! 
with  a  I 

Jj^jMf  Hi  story  of  the   Congregational  I 

M  Meeting   Houses 

in 
Holl is,    N.H. 


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Cbe  new  England  meeting  Rouse 


WITH  A 


Ijistory  of  tfte  Congregational 
meeting  Rouses 


IN 


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WITH  A 


Henry  Ernest  Woods 

Editor 


18  80merset  8treet 

Boston 


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historical  ant)  C&encalogfcal 

IScgigtcr 


We  call  your  attention  to  the  following,   which 
the  Register  dated 

1305 


appears  in 


The  New  England  Meeting  House.  With  a  History  of  the  Congregational  Meet- 
ing Houses  in  Hollis,  N.  H.  A  Discourse  on  the  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the 
Building  oj  the  Present  Meeting  House.  By  Samuel  L.  Gerould,  D.D.  Given 
on  Old  Home  Week  Sunday,  Aug.  21,  1904.  Nashua,  N.  H. :  Teleeraph  Pub. 
Co.,  Printers.     1904.     8vo.  pp.  34.     111. 

This  is  exceedingly  pleasant  reading,  in  a  style  particularly  suited  to  the 
m  uuu  cr  • 


£be  1Rew>  Enfilanb  flUeetino  IKousc 


WITH   A 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONGREGATIONAL 
MEETING  HOUSES 


IN 


HOLLIS,  N.  H. 


A  DISCOURSE  ON  THE  CENTENNIAL  ANNIVERSARY   OF 

THE    BUILDING    OF    THE    PRESENT 

MEETING  HOUSE 


SAMUEL  L.  GEROULD,   D.  D., 
Pastor  of  the  Church. 


Given  on  Old  Home  Week  Sunday,  August  2i>  1904. 


NASHUA,  N.  H.: 

TELEGRAPH   PUBLISHING   COMPANY,   PRINTERS. 
1904. 


EXPLANATORY. 


The  Old  Home  Week  Association  at  its  first  meeting  this  year 
expressed  a  desire  to  observe  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the 
erection  of  our  meeting  house  in  connection  with  its  Old  Home 
Week  observances.  A  vote  was  passed  requesting  a  discourse  suit- 
able to  the  occasion  on  Old  Home  Week  Sunday,  and  a  committee 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  Charles  S.  Spalding,  Cyrus  F.  Burge 
and  Daniel  W.  Hayden,  to  co-operate  with  a  like  committee  ap- 
pointed from  the  church,  in  furnishing  facts  for  use  on  the  occasion. 
The  church  subsequently  appointed  as  its  committee  Dea.  Enoch 
J.  Colburn,  Miss  Emma  L.  VanDyke  and  Wilbert  P.  Farley. 

Old  Home  Week  Sunday  brought  together  a  congregation  of 
nearly  four  hundred  fifty  people.  The  choir,  George  A.  Ladd, 
chorister,  occupying  the  old  singers'  seats  or  gallery,  had  made 
special  preparation  for  the  day,  and  was  led  in  its  singing  by  two 
violins,  a  cornet,  and  a  double  bass  viol.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
morning  service  Silas  M.  Spalding  asked  the  privilege  of  speaking, 
and  then  called  for  a  vote  expressive  of  a  desire  that  the  discourse 
be  printed.  The  response  was  so  hearty  that  arrangements  were 
immediately  made  to  put  it  in  type. 

The  cut  of  the  meeting  house  of  1804,  which  is  given  herein, 
was  drawn  from  descriptions,  and  as  these  vary  it  is  possible  that 
in  minor  details  it  may  not  be  accurate. 


DISCOURSE. 


I  Kings  8: 18.     Whereas  it  was  in  thy  heart  to  build  a  house  for 
my  name,  thou  didst  well  that  it  was  in  thine  heart. 

Up  to  a  certain  period  there  had  been  no  visible  place 
of  worship  where  the  Israelitish  people  could  gather  and 
join  in  their  religious  ceremonials  and  exercises.  But 
soon  after  the  Exodus  they  were  given  the  taberna- 
cle, or  tent  of  meeting,  which  was  carried  with  them  where- 
ever  they  went.  Here  the  priests  ministered  before  the 
Lord  and  the  sacrifices  were  offered,  and  here  God  mani- 
fested himself.  But  after  the  kingdom  was  established  the 
time  had  come  when  it  was  desirable  that  there  should  be 
a  place  where  larger  numbers  could  meet,  under  a  roof; 
where  the  people  could  go  to  pray  and  join  in  the  services 
of  worship.  David  had  just  builded  for  himself  a  house  of 
large  proportions ;  it  was  only  natural  that  one  of  such 
strong  religious  proclivities,  who  himself  had  outgrown 
tents,  should  feel  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant  should  no 
longer  dwell  in  curtains.  Hence  he  commences  to  make 
preparations  for  one  of  the  richest,  most  expensive,  tem- 
ples that  ever  was  erected. 

But  he  was  not  permitted  to  carry  out  his  purpose ;  it 
was  left  to  his  son  to  carry  it  out,  which  he  did  with  a 
lavish  outlay.  David  was  grievously  disappointed  that  he 
could  not  do  it,  but  God  commended  him  because  it  was  in 
his  heart  to  do  it.  The  honor  of  building  the  temple  be- 
longed as  much  to  David  as  to  Solomon.  That  a  person 
should  desire  to  build,  and  make  preparations  for  building, 
so  far  as  getting  the  materials  together  is  concerned,  is  an 
act  that  is  most  commendable.  As  it  was  to  the  credit  of 
David  that  it  was  in  his  heart  to  build  a  house  for  the  wor- 


ship  of  God,  so  it  is  to  the  credit  of  all  who  have  since  lived 
and  wrought  in  the  erection  of  buildings  for  that  purpose. 

From  that  time  to  this  God  has  put  it  in  the  hearts  of  his 
friends  to  build  temples  as  they  were  needed  for  his  ser- 
vice ;  many  of  them  beautiful  in  appearance,  of  great  cost, 
and  of  such  permanent  materials  that  they  have  endured 
for  centuries.  In  the  old  world  there  may  be  found  some 
in  constant  present  use  which  were  erected  before  the  dis- 
covery of  America. 

When  our  fathers  came  to  this  country,  coming  as  they 
did  from  a  religious  motive,  almost  their  first  thought,  and 
their  first  work,  was  to  provide  a  place  for  the  public  wor- 
ship of  God.  They  were  rude  affairs  in  the  beginning, 
constructed  of  logs,  sometimes  surrounded  by  palisades  to 
protect  them  from  the  Indians,  but  they  were  as  good  as 
their  own  houses, — probably  a  little  better.  As  time  went 
on,  as  conveniences  increased,  as  colonies  pushed  out  into 
the  wilderness,  and  as  they  became  able,  they  erected  bet- 
ter ones.  But  the  meeting  house  must  always  be  the  first, 
or  among  the  first,  of  the  buildings  to  be  put  up,  and  al- 
ways it  must  be  of  the  best  at  their  command  at  the  time. 
If  other  people,  of  a  later  day,  have  thought  and  provided 
first  for  their  own  houses,  and  have  lavished  their  wealth 
on  their  construction  to  the  neglect  of  the  meeting  house, 
it.  was  not  so  with  our  fathers.  We  of  this  day  can  hardly 
realize  how  much  of  love  and  sacrifice  went  into  their 
places  of  worship.  It  is  related  of  a  family  that  went  from 
New  England  into  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania  after  the 
Revolution,  carrying  all  their  effects  with  them,  and  driv- 
ing their  only  cow  before  them,  that  when  they  were 
joined  by  other  families  and  the  need  of  a  meeting  house 
began  to  be  felt,  the  good  wife  and  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren was  greatly  troubled  because  they  had  no  public  wor- 
ship, and  no  place  for  it  save  in  their  own  log  houses. 
When  it  was  proposed  to  provide  a  place,  she  was  in  trou- 
ble because  they  were  so  poor  they  could  help  in  its  con- 
struction only  by  labor.     It  was  then  she  asked  her  hus- 


band  to  sell  their  cow,  and  use  all  the  proceeds  in  helping 
secure  their  meeting  house. 

This  illustrates  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  people  who 
settled  New  England,  and  whose  children  afterwards  went 
into  the  interior.  But  their  hatred  of  the  Established 
church  of  England,  that  had  been  the  instrument  of  driv- 
ing them  into  the  wilderness,  was  so  intense  that  they 
would  have  nothing  in  their  worship,  or  places  of  worship, 
that  reminded  them  of  it.  The  Episcopalians  called  their 
buildings  for  worship  churches ;  theirs  should  be  called 
meeting  houses.  The  churches  of  the  old  country  were 
elaborate  structures,  in  which  there  was  a  great  display  of 
art  and  architecture ;  theirs  must  be  very  plain  and  unpre- 
tentious, and  they  must  have  no  steeples.  The  reading  of 
the  Scriptures  in  their  religious  assemblies  was  not  tolera- 
ted at  first,  and  when  introduced  by  many  was  vigorously 
opposed.  For  awhile  they  would  have  no  religious  ser- 
vice at  a  funeral,  and  the  marriage  ceremony  must  be  per- 
formed by  a  minister  of  state  rather  than  of  religion.  The 
home  churches  had  instruments  of  music,  so  they  would 
have  none.  When  the  violin  finally  crept  in  as  an  aid  to 
song,  by  many  it  was  looked  upon  as  an  instrument  of  the 
devil.  It  is  related  of  one  minister  who  strongly  opposed 
its  introduction  that,  when  he  could  no  longer  prevent  it, 
in  his  pique  he  announced  the  singing  in  this  manner, — 
"we  will  now  fiddle  and  sing"  the  eighty-fourth  psalm. 

We  have  a  good  illustration  of  the  meeting  houses  near 
at  hand,  in  the  building  standing  on  the  hill  in  the  west 
part  of  the  village  of  Brookline,  which  was  erected,  little 
by  little,  between  1787  and  1798.  This  was  the  prevailing 
style  during  the  eighteenth  century,  soon  giving  to  the 
buildings  the  name  of  "barn  meeting  houses,"  because  of 
their  form  and  extreme  plainness.  The  front  door  opened 
directly  into  the  audience  room  ;  there  were  usually  porches 
on  the  right  and  left  sides  of  the  house,  in  which  there  were 
stairs  leading  into  galleries,  one  of  these  being  used  by  the 
men  and  the  other  by  the  women.    The  pulpit  was  opposite 


8 

the  front  door,  and  was  reached  by  a  winding  stairway. 
Over  it  hung  the  sounding  board,  which  caused  more  than 
one  youngster  to  sit  through  the  services  in  a  quiver  of 
fear  lest  it  should  fall  upon  the  preacher's  head.  Directly 
in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  against  it,  sat  the  deacons,  fac- 
ing the  congregation.  Many  of  the  first  meeting  houses 
had  pews  around  the  walls  of  the  building  only,  while  there 
were  long  benches  within,  often  without  backs,  facing  the 
aisle  from  the  front  door  to  the  pulpit.  On  these  sat  the 
common  people,  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on 
the  other,  while  the  wall  pews  were  occupied  by  the  digni- 
taries of  the  town.  At  the  town  meetings  it  was  a  com- 
mon act  to  appoint  a  person  to  "dignify  the  pews,"  that  is, 
to  seat  the  family  of  the  man  paying  the  largest  taxes  in  the 
most  desirable  pew,  and  the  others  according  to  taxes  paid. 
In  time,  however,  the  center  of  the  house  was  filled  with 
pews,  and  the  "dignifying"  process  was  dropped.  Steeples 
were  a  long  time  in  coming,  and  when  they  did  they  were 
mostly  small  affairs,  little  cupolas,  just  large  enough  to 
hold  a  bell.  Previous  to  this  the  drum  had  called  the  peo- 
ple to  worship. 

Not  all  the  meeting  houses  were  as  plain  and  barn-like  as 
has  been  described,  for  there  were  some  communities  or 
parishes  that  were  not  afraid  to  break  away  from  the  con- 
ventional type.  The  meeting  house  of  the  first  church  in 
Keene,  still  in  use,  was  erected  in  1786,  and  is  a  fine  speci- 
men of  early  architecture,  with  elaborate  and  expensive 
carvings,  and  a  steeple  much  resembling  the  Park  street 
church  in  Boston,  which  was  not  built  till  1810, — the  fam- 
ous Old  South  meeting  house  having  been  built  in  1729. 
The  oldest  meeting  house  in  Boston  is  Christ's  church, 
Salem  street,  built  in  1723. 

We  have  in  this  state  today,  in  present  use,  at  least 
seventeen  meeting  houses  that  were  erected  previous  to 
1800,  the  earliest  being  that  at  Newington,  built  between 
1710  and  1713.  The  first  church  in  Derry,  the  spire  of 
which  can  be  seen  on  a  clear  day  from  the  Pepperell  road, 


a  little  beyond  the  South  cemetery,  was  erected  in  1769, 
and  the  one  at  Greenland  in  1756.  Of  course  these  houses 
have  all  been  modernized,  and  have  but  small  resemblance 
in  their  interior  to  their  appearance  when  first  erected.  In 
Sandown  there  is  a  meeting  house,  belonging  to  no  par- 
ticular denomination,  in  use  only  a  few  Sundays  each  sum- 
mer, the  expense  for  which  and  for  keeping  the  house  in 
good  repair  being  met  by  a  fund,  which  is  a  good  sample 
of  one  of  the  old  "barn  meeting  houses"  of  the  better  sort. 
Here  may  be  seen  the  square  pews,  with  seats  on  four 
sides  facing  in,  hung  on  hinges,  the  seats  narrow  and  with- 
out inclination,  the  backs  perpendicular,  with  a  row  of 
capped  spindles  surmounting  the  top,  and  inviting  the  in- 
attentive boy  to  see  how  far,  or  how  many  of  them,  could 
be  turned  without  making  them  squeak.  It  has  the  high 
pulpit,  reached  by  winding  stairs,  galleries  on  three  sides, 
porches  at  the  side  entrances,  all  being  in  the  style  of  a 
century  ago,  minus  any  steeple.  In  many  places  there 
were  "noon  houses,"  so  called,  where  the  people  could  re- 
pair during  the  intermission,  talk  over  their  affairs,  and 
where  the  women  could  replenish  their  foot  stoves  from 
the  fire  here  kept  burning,  and  it  is  probable  there  was 
such  a  house  here, — perhaps  more  than  one.  It  is  related 
that  Deacons  Ephraim  Burge  and  Stephen  Jewett,  after 
the  present  house  was  built,  dug  a  shallow  cellar  some- 
where near  where  the  present  east  horse  sheds  now  stand, 
over  which  they  erected  a  cover,  and  into  which  they  al- 
ternated in  rolling  a  barrel  of  cider  each  autumn  for  their 
regalement  during  the  noon  intermission.  Whether  these 
two  men  drank  it  all  history  doesn't  show.  A  local  histo- 
rian has  informed  me  that  some  of  the  noon  houses  were 
built  on  the  club  principle,  the  members  of  which  took 
turns  in  furnishing  cider  for  quenching  the  inordinate 
thirst  of  those  davs. 


10 

THE  FIRST  MEETING   HOUSE. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  town  were  not  different  from 
the  settlers  of  other  New  England  towns.  As  soon  as  a 
sufficient  number  of  families  had  made  their  homes  on  our 
soil,  they  began  to  move  for  a  place  of  worship,  which 
should  also  be  the  place  for  the  transaction  of  their  town 
affairs, — the  town  house  and  the  meeting  house  almost  al- 
ways being  the  same.  Their  first  move  was  in  1740,  the 
taxpayers  at  the  time  numbering  only  twenty-nine.  But 
they  had  the  courage  of  their  convictions  and  so  went 
ahead.  The  first  proposition  was  to  build  near  the  pres- 
ent house  of  John  A.  Coburn,  and  afterwards  other  loca- 
tions were  advocated,  but  it  was  finally  voted  to  place  it 
where  it  now  stands,  the  land  being  given  for  it,  and  for  a 
cemetery,  by  Abraham  Taylor,  who  lived  near  where 
George  A.  Ladd  now  lives.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the 
town  did  not  formally  accept  the  gift  until  six  years  after- 
wards, or  three  years  after  the  owner's  death.  The  house 
was  built  by  Robert  Colburn  and  David  Nevins. 

The  plainness,  simplicity  and  small  size  of  the  first  meet- 
ing house  we  can  hardly  realize.  Its  dimensions  were  22 
x  20  feet,  9  feet  post, — a  little  smaller,  and  one  foot 
lower,  than  our  present  library  room,  but  large  enough  for 
immediate  needs.  It  was  probably  begun  late  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1740,  but  not  completed  till  the  next  year,  for  in 
October,  1741,  it  was  voted  "to  have  one  Glace  winder  in 
the  meeting  house,  and  to  have  it  underpind  as  soon  as 
possible."  It  was  originally  voted  that  it  should  have 
three  glass  windows,  and  the  cut  in  the  town  history  so 
represents  it,  but  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  ever  had 
more  than  one.  But  what  a  cheerless  place  it  must  have 
been, — a  mere  shelter,  that  would  hardly  protect  them 
from  the  biting  winds  of  winter,  and  with  no  method  of 
heating  it.  But  in  this  rude  affair  our  first  settlers  met  for 
worship  and  for  the  transaction  of  their  town  business,  in 
winter's  cold  and  summer's  heat,  for  a  few  years  until  they 
had  become  stronger,  and  so  better  able  to  improve  the 


11 

situation.  Some  old  records  recently  found  by  Dr.  Sam- 
uel A.  Green  of  Boston  show  that  Rev.  George  Whitefield 
preached  in  this  town  in  September,  1744. 

THE  SECOND  MEETING  HOUSE. 

In  1745  the  taxable  inhabitants  had  increased  to  seventy- 
seven.  They  began  to  be  troubled  about  the  inferior  qual- 
ity of  their  meeting  house,  so  in  March  of  that  year  they 
voted  to  build  a  new  and  more  substantial  one,  50  x  44  feet 
on  the  ground,  with  23  feet  post.  The  next  year,  by  rea- 
son of  the  change  of  the  town  charter  and  town  lines,  the 
names  on  the  tax  list  were  reduced  to  fifty-three,  greatly 
weakening,  and  at  first  discouraging,  the  people.  But  at 
a  meeting  June  13,  1746,  they  had  so  far  recovered  them- 
selves that  they  virtually  renewed  the  vote  of  the  previous 
year,  and  at  once  began  preparations  for  building.  Mean- 
while the  first  meeting  house  had  been  moved  a  little  to  the 
east,  probably  to  a  point  near  where  the  first  horse  shed 
now  stands,  and  where  it  continued  to  be  used  until  the 
second  house  was  ready, — and  for  years  afterwards  as  a 
storehouse. 

The  new  house  was  raised  August  13,  1746.  There  had 
been  much  discussion  and  some  ill  feeling  developed  in  re- 
gard to  its  location.  The  town  then  embraced  the  east 
part  of  Brookline,  then  called  Raby,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  that  part  of  the  town  naturally  desired  to  have  it  located 
more  conveniently  for  themselves,  and  so  tried  to  have  it 
built  on  Proctor  hill.  But  here,  as  elsewhere,  the  major- 
ity must  rule,  and  the  majority  decided  it  should  be  on  the 
old  location,  where  it  now  stands. 

In  this  house  our  fathers  worshipped,  and  attended  to 
the  town's  business,  through  the  trying  times  of  the  French 
and  Indian,  and  the  Revolutionary  wars,  from  1746  till 
1804,  without  fire  in  winter  save  that  kindled  in  their  own 
bosoms  by  the  sermons  they  heard  and  the  discussions  in 
which  they  took  part,  and  that  which  our  good  mothers 
carried  in  their  little  foot  stoves.  They  came  hither  each 
Sunday,  long  lines  of  people  on  horseback,  from  all  parts 


12 

of  the  town,  the  children  and  young  people  walking,  in 
summer  with  bare  feet  until  they  had  reached  a  point  near 
the  house,  when  they  put  on  their  stockings  and  shoes 
which  they  had  so  far  carried  in  their  hands,  and  which 
they  removed  after  service, — a  custom  that  was  kept  up 
for  seventy-five  years  or  more.  Here  the  people  listened 
to  two  sermons  each  Lord's  day,  each  of  about  an  hour's 
length,  with  the  devotional  service  nearly  as  long.  Includ- 
ing the  intermission  they  could  hardly  have  spent  less  than 
four  hours  each  Sunday  at  the  place  of  worship.  What 
say  those  to  this  who  now  look  upon  a  single  service  of 
one  hour  as  exceedingly  wearisome,  and  if  it  be  protracted 
to  an  hour  and  a  quarter  as  beyond  endurance  ?  But  how 
the  people  must  have  suffered  during  the  cold  winters,  with 
no  fires,  and  no  such  protection  from  warm  garments  as 
we  now  have.  But  I  suppose  they  had  their  compensa- 
tions, and  they  didn't  realize  that  they  were  suffering. 

This  second  meeting  house  had  pews  around  the  walls 
only ;  the  interior  of  it  was  fitted  with  benches  facing  in- 
ward toward  the  aisle,  so  the  people  sat  with  their  sides  ^o 
the  pulpit,  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on  the 
other.  But  in  it,  in  1764,  was  organized  the  church  of 
Plymouth,  N.  H.,  made  up  of  our  own  citizens  who  were 
about  to  emigrate  thither,  and  here  in  1765  Peter  Powers, 
Jr.,  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  little  church  he  had  gath- 
ered in  the  wilderness  at  Newbury,  Vt. 

THE  THIRD  MEETING  HOUSE. 

As  early  as  1797  the  question  of  a  new  house  began  to 
be  agitated.  The  people  had  outgrown  the  old  one,  and 
they  felt  that  they  needed  a  better  one.  Notwithstanding 
the  emigration,  and  the  Revolution-  the  population  had  in- 
creased so  that  by  the  census  of  1800  we  had  1554  inhabi- 
tants. We  find  an  article  in  the  town  warrant  of  1797  to 
see  if  the  town  will  build  a  new  meeting  house.  It  result- 
ed in  a  vote  instructing  the  selectmen  to  "repair  the  win- 
dows and  make  it  do  for  the  present."     The  next  year  the 


13 

article  appeared  again,  but  the  town  voted  to  pass  it.  We 
can  easily  see  that  the  matter  was  being  carefully  can- 
vassed, the  arguments  for  and  against  a  new  building  be- 
ing presented  in  private  and  in  public.  In  1799  the  town 
voted  to  accept  the  report  of  a  locating  committee  pre- 
viously appointed,  which  committee  fixed  upon  the  position 
where  it  now  stands. 

But  they  were  not  then  quite,  ready  to  build,  for  in  March, 
1800,  they  "voted  to  repair  the  windows,"  and  a  little  after 
"to  repair  the  house."  But  the  agitation  went  on.  The 
warrant  for  1801  contained  an  article  "to  see  if  the  town 
will  move  off  the  old  meeting  house  in  order  that  a  new 
one  may  be  built,  agreeably  to  what  the  town  has  voted  at 
a  former  meeting,  and  act  on  all  matters  relative  to  build- 
ing a  new  meeting  house."  The  temper  of  that  meeting, 
however,  was  such  that  the  voters  were  not  ready  definite- 
ly to  act,  and  so  the  meeting  was  "adjourned  so  far  as  that 
article  was  concerned  till  March  2nd,"  and  again  till  April 
6th,  and  then  again  till  May  4th,  when  it  was  voted  to  build, 
"provided  a  plan  could  be  devised  to  build  without  a  tax." 
It  appears  that  already  disinterested  parties  from  Pepperell 
had  been  asked  to  appraise  the  pews  of  the  old  church,  and 
had  done  so;  and  so  at  this  meeting  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed "to  devise  a  plan  to  build  a  meeting  house  free 
from  tax,  including  the  old  meeting  house  and  burying 
yard  wall  the  length  of  the  new  meeting  house,  and  paving 
the  holders  of  the  old  pews  the  sums  at  which  they  were 
appraised  by  a  committee  from  Pepperell."  This  lan- 
guage is  somewhat  obscure,  but  the  report  of  the  commit- 
tee shows  what  was  meant.     It  was  as  follows : 

i.  That  the  town  fix  on  some  plan  for  a  meeting  house,  and 
how  the  same  shall  be  finished. 

2.  That  a  committee  of  three  be  chosen  by  ballot  who  shall 
number  the  pews  on  said  plan,  and  sell  them  for  the  best  advant- 
age for  the  benefit  of  the  town,  reserving  a  minister's  pew  for  the 
benefit  of  said  town,  and  every  seventh  pew  below,  and  every  fifth 
pew  in  the  gallery,  till  the  rest  shall  be  sold  ;  then  to  be  sold  or  re- 
served till  the  house  be  finished,  at  the  discretion  of  the  commit- 


14 

tee.  Said  committee  shall  keep  a  fair  record  of  their  proceedings, 
and  after  said  house  shall  be  finished  and  all  the  pews  paid  for,  all 
sales  of  pews  shall  be  recorded  in  a  town  book,  to  be  kept  as  a 
record  of  titles  to  pews  in  said  meeting  house,  and  signed  by  said 
committee  and  attested  by  the  town  clerk,  and  this  shall  be  con- 
sidered as  a  good  and  sufficient  title  for  each  purchaser  to  his  pew. 

3.  That  the  conditions  of  the  sale  be  as  follows  :  — Each  pur- 
chaser shall  be  responsible  for  the  payment  of  the  sum  for  which 
his  pew  shall  be  struck  off  to  him,  in  the  following  manner; — five 
per  cent,  to  be  paid  down  in  cash  at  the  time  of  the  sale  ;  one-eighth 
part  of  the  remainder  in  cash  on  or  before  the  10th  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1803;  one-eighth  more  in  cash  on  or  before  the  10th  day  of  March, 
1803  ;  one-half  of  what  still  remains  in  materials,  as  follows  :  all  the 
materials  for  frame  and  underpinning  to  be  delivered  on  the 
common  on  or  before  the  15th  day  of  March,  1803;  all  outside 
finishing  on  or  before  May  1st,  1803;  all  inside  finishing  on  or  be- 
fore June  15,  1803,  or  in  cash  on  or  before  the  said  15th  of  June  ;  and 
the  remainder  in  cash  in  one  month  after  said  house  shall  be  fin- 
ished, unless  previously  paid  in  materials  or  labor.  Each  pew 
shall  be  held  as  collateral  security  for  the  payment  of  the  purchase 
money,  and  shall  be  liable  to  be  sold  by  said  committee  at  public 
vendue  if  the  purchaser  shall  fail  of  fulfilling  any  of  the  articles  of 
sale;  the  overplus,  after  deducting  the  cost  of  such  sale  and  mak- 
ing good  his  deficiency  in  payments,  which  shall  have  become  due 
before  the  time  of  such  sale,  to  be  returned  to  the  original  pur- 
chaser;  the  new  purchaser  to  be  holden  for  the  fulfillment  of  the 
original  contract  according  to  the  articles  of  the  first  sale. 

4.  A  committee  of  three  shall  be  chosen  by  ballot,  one  of 
whom  shall  be  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  who  shall  divide  the  ma- 
terials for  said  house,  and  the  labor  to  build  and  finish  the  same, 
into  as  many  lots  as  they  shall  judge  convenient  to  give  an  equal 
chance  to  the  purchasers  of  pews,  which  lots  shall  be  set  up  at 
vendue  by  said  committee  and  struck  off  to  the  lowest  bidder. 
Each  person  who  shall  bid  any  of  them  off  shall  be  responsible  for 
the  performance,  with  surety  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  last  said 
committee.  The  last  said  committee  shall  inspect  all  materials, 
and  labor  done,  and  shall  accept  or  reject  the  same  at  discretion, — 
and  if  it  be  in  labor  the  person  or  persons  so  deficient  shall  make 
all  damages  good  to  the  satisfaction  of  said  committee. 

5.  All  committees  to  be  employed  in  said  building  shall  be 
paid  a  reasonable  compensation  for  their  services  from  the  moneys 
raised  by  the  sale  of  pews. 

6.  Said  house  shall  be  finished  on  or  before  the  first  day  of 
November,  1803. 


15 

Subsequently,  at  the  same  meeting,  it  was  voted  "that 
the  mode  of  finishing  the  meeting  house  be  left  to  the  sec- 
ond committee  mentioned  in  the  above  report,  reserving 
to  the  town  the  liberty  of  giving  special  directions  if  they 
see  fit  cause." 

It  would  appear  that  some  committee  was  looking  about 
for  plans  for  the  new  house,  but  what  committee  it  is  not 
quite  clear,  for  at  a  meeting  Dec.  28,  1801,  the  town  "voted 
to  accept  the  Billerica  plan  as  altered  by  the  committee  for 
that  purpose."  It  also  "voted  that  the  pews  build  the 
meeting  house  and  the  burying  yard  wall,  and  pay  the  old 
men  for  their  pews,  as  appraised  by  the  committee  from 
Pepperell." 

The  "burying  yard  wall"  comes  to  notice  in  most  of  the 
action  taken,  though  as  far  back  as  1758  the  town  voted  to 
have  it  fenced,  and  in  1761  had  paid  John  Atwell  for  build- 
ing a  stone  wall.  Still  later,  March  12,  1805,  it  "voted  to 
choose  a  committee  to  see  that  the  west  burying  yard  wall 
be  finished  according  to  agreement,  free  of  expense  to  the 
town." 

At  a  meeting  March  16,  1802,  a  committee  was  chosen 
"to  look  over  the  proceedings  of  the  various  meetings  in 
relation  to  the  new  house,  and  at  a  future  meeting  report 
to  the  town  what  votes  it  shall  be  thought  best  to  record." 
It  was  evident  they  had  become  a  little  mixed  in  their  views 
and  wished  to  have  the  record  clear  before  proceeding  fur- 
ther. To  give  time  for  this  report,  or  because  they 
were  not  quite  ready  to  act,  it  was  voted  at  this  meeting 
"to  postpone  the  building  the  meeting  house  for  one  year, 
and  all  matters  relating  thereto."  It  is  probable  that  the 
votes  that  are  permanently  recorded  were  the  report  of  this 
committee;  that  the  original  record  was  made  on  loose 
sheets,  and  had  not  been  entered  in  the  book. 

The  carefulness  with  which  they  guarded  their  action  is 
shown  by  a  vote  taken  May  30,  1803,  "that  whereas  some 
doubt  has  arisen  relative  to  the  import  of  the  third  vote 
passed  at  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting  Dec.  28,  1801, 


16 

they  then  intended  and  now  understand  that  the  true  mean- 
ing and  intent  thereof  was,  that  the  pews  should  build  the 
meeting  house ;  and  that  if  the  pews  should  sell  for  more 
than  enough  to  build  said  house,  each  purchaser  should  re- 
ceive back  his  portion  of  the  overplus  according  to  the 
price  of  his  pew ;  that  no  more  of  the  burying  yard  wall 
was  intended  than  the  length  of  the  meeting  house.  And 
k  is  further  understood  that  if  any  of  the  pews  remain  un- 
sold when  the  house  shall  be  finished,  said  unsold  pews, 
except  a  ministerial  pew,  are  to  be  the  common  property 
of  those  who  have  purchased  in  proportion  to  each  one's 
purchase ;  and  that  in  case  all  the  pews  shall  not  be  sold  for 
enough  to  build  said  house,  each  pew  holder  shall  be 
assessed  and  be  obliged  to  pay  his  proportion  of  the  defi- 
ciency in  proportion  to  the  price  of  his  pew." 

Instead  of  building  the  house  in  1802  as  first  proposed, 
or  in  1803,  the  old  house  was  continued  in  use  until  1804. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  that  year,  March  15th,  it  was 
"voted  that  the  second  committee  take  down  the  old  meet- 
ing house  as  soon  as  they  may  think  necessary,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  pew  purchasers" ;  also,  "that  the  said  commit- 
tee be  under  the  direction  of  the  pew  purchasers  in  raising* 
the  meeting  house."  Further  votes  on  that  occasion  were 
"that  the  meeting  house  may  be  finished  with  a  tower  and 
a  low  steeple,  if  it  can  be  done  without  expense  to  the 
town,"  and  that  "a  shelter  may  be  erected  before  the  school 
house  to  accommodate  public  worship,  and  that  if  any  ex- 
pense arise  it  shall  be  assessed  with  the  minister  rate." 

When  the  meeting  house  was  taken  down  the  windows 
were  purchased  and  used  in  the  building  of  the  house  now 
owned  by  Mrs.  Timothy  Flagg, — the  house  being  made 
with  higher  posts  than  usual  to  accommodate  the  size  of 
the  windows.  The  windows  in  the  upper  story  of  that 
house  at  the  present  time  are  the  very  ones  that  were  taken 
from  our  second  meeting  house.  The  timbers  constituted 
the  frame  of  the  present  barn  of  George  D.  Verder. 

Previous  to  1804  it  is  suspected  there  had  been  agitation 


3 


S 


17 

in  regard  to  building  a  town  house  separate  from  the  meet- 
ing house,  and  that  at  some  time  a  vote  had  been  passed  so 
to  do.  In  1S04  an  article  appeared  in  the  warrant  to  see 
if  the  town  would  build  a  town  house,  but  no  action  on  it 
is  recorded.  The  next  year  there  was  an  article  "to  see  if 
the  town  would  build  a  town  house  and  a  gun  house."  It 
voted  not  to  build.  In  1810  an  effort  was  made  to  get  a 
vote  to  "provide  a  house  for  the  benefit  of  funerals,"  which 
failed. 

In  1804  the  work  of  building  our  present  house  began  in 
earnest.  We  can  imagine  the  people  from  the  various 
parts  of  the  town  drawing  to  the  common  the  logs  that 
were  to  be  hewn  into  timbers,  or  to  Hayden  and  Bai- 
ley's mill  and  elsewhere  where  the  boards  were  sawed. 
We  can  seem  to  see  the  people  as  they  congregate  on  the 
common  with  their  chalk  and  lines,  their  broad  axes,  au- 
gers and  chisels,  for  the  purpose  of  hewing  these  timbers 
into  shape  and  making  the  mortises  and  tenons.  We  can 
fancy  that  it  was  a  sort  of  picnic  for  them  as  they  worked, 
and  joked,  and  gossiped,  and  chaffed  one  another.  The 
master  workman  was  Nathan  T.  Holt,  a  young  man  of  29, 
who  lived  where  Mrs.  Isaac  YanDyke  now  lives,  where  he 
had  a  mill,  and  manufactured  hay  rakes  and  grain  cradles. 
He  was  a  young  man  to  have  charge  of  so  important  a 
house  as  this,  but  the  building  shows  that  he  was  equal  to 
it.  There  is  a  tradition,  however,  that  at  some  stage  of 
the  proceedings  he  became  perplexed  because  unable  to 
adjust  some  of  the  timbers  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  In 
his  dilemma  he  went  to  the  house  of  Parson  Smith  and 
laid  the  case  before  him.  The  good  minister  advised  tak- 
ing to  the  Lord,  so  they  both  kneeled  in  prayer,  asking 
for  counsel  and  wisdom.  Returning  to  his  work  he  found 
himself  able  to  make  the  timbers  fit  as  he  desired. 

A  story  is  told  of  one  who  was  drawing  a  load  of  boards 
from  Hayden  and  Bailey's  mill,  who  took  his  little  son  with 
him  on  the  load.  While  passing  over  a  corduroy  road  a 
little  this  side  of  the  mill  the  boy  was  thrown  off  in  such  a 


18 

way  that  a  wheel  passed  over  his  neck.  But  he  had  fallen 
in  such  a  manner  that  his  head  lay  between  the  logs,  so  he 
was  not  seriously  injured  by  the  accident. 

What  a  great  day  it  must  have  been  when  the  people 
gathered  to  raise  the  building!  A  "raising"  was  a  great 
event,  even  if  it  was  no  more  than  a  common  barn  ;  but  a 
great  house  like  this  would  call  together  practically  every 
able-bodied  man  or  boy  in  town.  I  imagine  I  can  see  them 
coming  from  all  parts  of  the  town,  with  pike  poles  long 
and  short,  grasped  in  their  brawny  hands.  It  would  re- 
quire a  small  regiment  of  men  to  raise  from  the  ground 
one  of  the  framed  sides  of  this  large  building,  many  of  the 
timbers  being  of  hard  wood,  and  of  larger  dimensions  than 
are  now  made.  But  "they  had  a  mind  to  work,"  and  so, 
as  in  Nehemiah's  time,  the  building  was  erected.  The 
people  were  in  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and  the  spirit  of 
cider  and  rum  was  probably  in  them.  The  temperance 
movement  had  not  then  begun ;  nearly  everyone  drank  ar- 
dent spirits,  and  especially  at  "raisings."  It  would  be  in- 
teresting if  we  knew  just  how  much  spirit  it  took  to  get 
these  timbers  together,  but  I  have  found  no  record  of  it; 
the  bill  was  probably  charged  to  the  pew  owners. 

The  house  was  finally  completed  at  a  total  cost  of  $7,049.- 
35,  including  the  value  of  the  pews  in  the  old  house.  The 
new  pews  sold  for  $8,416.35,  besides  those  unsold  which 
were  valued  at  $568,  the  excess  of  receipts  being  returned 
to  those  who  had  bought  the  pews,  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  they  had  paid.  We  said  the  house  was  completed, 
yet  we  find  this  significant  vote  passed  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  1805,  "that  the  town  will  give  leave  to  have  the  com- 
mon levelled,  and  the  underpinning  of  the  meeting  house 
secured  under  the  direction  of  a  committee,  provided  it 
can  be  no  expense  to  the  town." 

Many  who  are  living  remember  this  house,  and  especial- 
ly the  dark  rolling  clouds  painted  on  the  blue  ceiling  in  the 
northwest  corner.  Whatever  its  purpose  was  it  served  to 
frighten  the  children,  portending  as  it  did  a  coming  storm. 


19 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  at  this  period,  both  before  and 
after  building-  this  house,  the  care  of  the  meeting  house 
was  sold  at  auction  at  each  annual  meeting,  as  was  the 
ringing  of  the  bell  until  within  a  few  years.  The  care  of 
the  house  was  to  include  sweeping  it  from  eight  to  twelve 
times  a  year,  shovelling  paths  to  the  horse  blocks  and  keep- 
ing them  clear,  locking  and  unlocking  the  house  on  all 
public  occasions.  Nothing  is  said  about  building  fires,  as 
they  had  none.  For  this  service  about  eight  dollars  a  year 
was  usually  paid  after  the  completion  of  the  new  house  ; 
in  the  old  house  it  was  less;  in  1802  it  was  bid  off  to 
Thomas  Cummings  for  $5.25.  It  was  usually  provided 
that  the  sexton  must  "do  his  work  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  people  or  have  nothing."  Where  in  these  days  could 
a  man  be  found  for  sexton  who  would  be  willing  to  have 
his  salary  depend  on  his  satisfying  everybody? 

We  have  no  record  of  the  day  of  dedication  of  this  house 
but  not  unlikely  it  was  some  day  late  in  November,  or  in 
December.  It  must  have  been  a  glad  occasion  when  they 
exchanged  the  old  house  for  the  new,  and  gave  up  their 
cramped  quarters  in  the  school  house  occupied  by  the 
women,  and  the  shelter  at  the  front  door  where  the  men 
were  seated.  They  could  say  to  one  another  with  David, 
"I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  let  us  go  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord,"  for  not  only  their  money  and  their 
labor  had  gone  into  its  construction,  but  their  love. 

The  house  was  originally  painted  yellow,  or  a  straw 
color,  so  that  afterwards,  when  painted  white,  the  yellow 
would  sometimes,  especially  after  a  rain,  show  through. 
The  house  for  many  years  had  over  the  front  this  inscrip- 
tion,— "Built  in  1801."  Would  it  not  be  well  now  to  re- 
place it? 

We  are  wont  to  think  of  all  the  people  of  a  hundred 
years  ago  as  being  honest,  and  doing  their  work  in  a  thor- 
ough manner  so  it  would  stand  the  closest  inspection  and 
endure  much  longer  than  modern  work.  Shall  I  shock 
you  if  I  tell  you  that  in  1810  the  town  "voted  to  see  if  there 


20 

can  be  any  damages  got  for  the  fraud  in  painting  the  meet- 
ing house"  ;  while  in  the  same  year  there  was  an  article  in 
the  warrant  "to  see  if  the  town  will  repair  the  meeting 
house."  It  isn't  known  to  what  this  refers,  but  we  natural- 
ly think  that  if  a  new  house  comes  to  repairs  in  six  years 
there  must  be  some  reflection  on  the  materials  used,  or  on 
the  workmanship. 

As  early  as  1808  there  was  an  article  in  the  warrant  to 
see  if  the  town  would  purchase  a  bell,  but  it  was  voted 
down.  In  1821,  however,  160  persons  subscribed  $570.36 
for  the  purchase  of  a  bell.  This  was  unfortunately  cracked 
about  1850,  when  the  present  bell  was  secured. 

Horse  sheds  are  a  necessary  adjunct  of  a  well  regulated 
meeting  house.  I  am  informed  that  the  first  in  town  were 
located  farther  west  than  the  present  ones  on  the  west 
side, — nearly  as  far  as  the  town  pump ;  that  they  were  so 
narrow  as  to  accommodate  a  horse  only,  as  in  those  days 
people  came  to  church  on  horseback.  The  first  reference 
to  them  in  the  records  that  has  been  found  is  in  1826,  when 
it  was  "voted  that  individuals  have  liberty  to  build  horse 
sheds  near  the  meeting  house,  under  the  direction  of  the 
selectmen,  where  they  now  stand,"  and  a  committee  was 
drafted  to  draw  plans.  If  the  language  of  the  last  words 
refers  to  the  sheds,  and  not  to  the  selectmen,  it  would  ap- 
pear that  some  were  already  on  the  ground,  and  that  this 
action  referred  to  new  ones.  In  1828  another  committee 
was  appointed  to  find  land  on  which  to  build.  In  1829  it 
was  "voted  that  the  selectmen  sell  at  auction  the  ground 
formerly  occupied  as  horse  sheds  west  of  the  meeting 
house  extending  from  the  corner  of  the  burying  ground 
south,  and  so  much  land  in  addition  as  may  be  necessary 
for  new  stables,  to  the  citizens  of  Hollis  and  no  other ;  that 
the  selectmen  sell  at  auction  the  ground  formerly  occupied 
by  horse  sheds  extending  west  from  the  south  end  of  the 
ground  above  described  to  the  citizens  of  Hollis  and  to  no 
other,  for  the  express  purpose  of  building  horse  sheds 
thereon ;  and  if  ground  cannot  be  obtained  of  Henry  Price 


21 

for  the  purpose  of  making'  such  sheds  of  a  suitable  depth, 
that  those  who  may  build  sheds  have  four  feet  of  ground 
from  the  road,  the  town  discontinuing  the  same  as  highway 
on  condition  that  they  procure  land  of  Mr.  Smith  on  the 
south  side  of  the  road,  so  as  to  preserve  the  present  width 
of  the  road."  In  this  connection  it  may  be  said  that  the 
further  end  of  the  row  of  sheds  now  on  the  east  side  of  this 
house  originally  opened  to  the  south,  making  a  corner  of 
the  buildings. 

\\"hilc  the  question  of  horse  sheds  was  being  agitated, 
that  of  stoves  in  the  meeting  house  was  also  before  the 
people.  We  of  this  generation  cannot  understand  why  it 
had  been  so  long  delayed,  or  why  there  should  have  been 
opposition  to  their  introduction.  In  1825  an  article  ap- 
peared in  the  warrant  to  see  if  the  town  would  purchase 
stoves  for  the  meeting  house,  but  it  was  at  once  voted 
down.  The  next  year  it  appeared  again,  but  no  record  of 
action  taken  can  be  found.  In  1828  it  was  "voted  to  give 
liberty  to  place  stoves  and  funnels  in  the  meeting  house, 
provided  it  can  be  done  without  expense  to  the  town."  As 
a  committee  was  then  appointed  "to  locate  them"  it  is  sup- 
posed they  were  soon  obtained  by  private  subscription. 

Shortly  after,  or  in  1830,  under  a  state  law  passed  July  3, 
1827,  an  ecclesiastical  society  was  organized,  whose 
object  was  "to  support  the  gospel  in  Hollis,  and  to  have 
constantly  settled  over  them  an  evangelical  gospel  minis- 
ter." From  that  time  to  this  the  society  has  acted  the  part 
in  ecclesiastical  matters  formerly  taken  by  the  town.  At 
first,  and  for  many  years,  its  methods  were  those  of  the 
town,  by  assessing  and  collecting  a  poll  and  property  tax 
on  its  voluntary  members,  which  at  that  time  included  a 
large  majority  of  the  voters  of  the  town,  as  well  as  some 
women.  Any  person  could  become  a  member  by  signing 
the  constitution,  and  could  withdraw  by  a  written  applica- 
tion, and  a  certificate  from  the  treasurer  that  all  assess- 
ments had  been  paid. 


22 

THE   CHANGES  OF   1849. 

But  we  pass  to  speak  of  the  changes  made  in  this  edifice 
in  1849.  Up  to  this  time  the  town  had  permitted  the 
church  and  society  to  occupy  its  house  as  had  been  the  cus- 
tom from  the  beginning ;  very  likely  it  would  have  allowed 
its  use  till  the  present  time  had  it  been  desired.  But  a 
strong  sentiment  was  being  developed  in  favor  of  a  more 
modern  constructed  house,  and  one  that  legally  should  be 
under  the  control  of  the  society.  The  people  had  begun  to 
speak  in  terms  of  disrespect  of  "the  old  slam  bang  meeting 
house,  and  pig  pen  pews."  This  led  to  the  insertion  of  an 
article  in  the  town  warrant  in  1848,  at  the  presidential  elec- 
tion, "to  see  if  the  town  will  convey  or  release  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Society  of  Hollis  such  part  of  the  meeting  house  as 
may  be  necessary  for  public  worship,  reserving  to  said 
town  such  parts  thereof  as  may  be  suitable  and  conven- 
ient for  town  purposes."  The  town  chose  a  committee  to 
report  on  what  terms  they  would  release  or  convey  to  the 
society  a  part  of  the  house,  and  a  plan  of  alteration  and  re- 
pairs. This  committee  consisted  of  fifteen  persons,  of 
whom  Benj.  M.  Farley  was  chairman.  They  made  their 
report  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  November  28th,  recom- 
mending the  turning  the  meeting  house  one-quarter 
around,  so  that  the  steeple  and  belfry,  which  had  been  on 
the  west,  should  be  on  the  south.  A  committee  of  three 
was  appointed  to  appraise  the  pews,  and  instructions  were 
given  that  pew  holders  should  be  paid  such  sums  for  their 
pews  as  this  committee  should  fix,  or  that  the  amount 
should  be  credited  toward  a  pew  in  the  new  house.  This 
committee  consisted  of  Judge  Edmund  Parker  of  Amherst, 
Leonard  W.  Noyes,  Esq.,  and  Gen.  Israel  Hunt,  both  of 
Nashua. 

Now  we  leave  the  town  and  come  to  the  society.  On 
the  following  December  18,  1848,  the  latter  body  "voted 
to  accept  the  grant  of  the  meeting  house,  with  its  various 
specifications,"  and  chose  a  committee  of  ten  whose  dutv 
it  should  be  "to  furnish  a  plan  or  plans  for  fitting  up  anew 


23 

for  religious  worship  and  purposes  therewith  connected 
such  parts  of  the  meeting  house  as  the  town  voted  to  re- 
lease to  the  society."  This  committee,  of  which  Benj.  M. 
Farley  was  also  chairman,  reported  January  2,  1849.  A 
part  of  the  report  was  accepted,  but  it  appears  that  all  were 
not  of  the  same  mind.  Several  plans  were  exhibited  at 
this  meeting  as  models  for  the  inside  of  the  house,  but  none 
were  adopted  ;  their  experience  was  much  what  it  has  re- 
cently been  in  changes  made  in  our  school  building. 

Another  meeting  was  called  for  January  29th,  when  it 
was  "voted  to  change  the  present  position  of  the  meeting 
house,  by  turning  the  west  end  to  the  south  ;  29  yeas,  21 
nays."  "Voted  to  new  model  and  fit  up  anew  the  meeting 
house  for  public  worship,  and  for  purposes  therewith  con- 
nected ;  to  retain  the  belfry  part,  and  fill  up  the  corners  so 
the  belfry  part  shall  be  as  wide  as  the  body  of  the  house ; 
that  the  pews  or  slips  be  constructed  so  as  to  have  three 
aisles  lengthwise  of  the  house."  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed "to  furnish  a  plan  for  finishing  the  body  of  the 
house,  make  an  estimate  of  the  expense,  and  obtain  such 
information  as  they  may  deem  necessary  in  order  to  ac- 
complish the  object  in  view,  and  the  manner  of  proceeding 
in  order  to  obtain  funds  for  carrying  forward  the  work." 

Two  weeks  later,  or  February  L2th,  another  committee 
was  appointed  to  '"examine  other  meeting  houses,  and  con- 
sult with  such  carpenters  as  have  had  experience  in  build- 
ing and  new  modeling  meeting  houses,  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  whether  it  is  necessary  to  lower  the  gallery  or 
not,  and  also  to  make  inquiry  as  to  the  probable  expense." 
Three  days  later  decisive  action  was  taken  by  adopting  the 
report  of  the  committee  as  follows  : — 

That  the  pulpit  be  placed  at  the  north  end  of  the  house  when 
turned  ;  that  seats  or  gallery  for  the  singers  be  placed  over  the  en- 
trance to  the  house  ;  that  there  be  six  tiers  of  pews  and  three  aisles, 
the  pews  on  the  broad  aisle  and  the  walls  of  the  house  to  be  of  the 
same  length,  and  the  other  tiers  of  pews  shorter;  the  pews  to  be 
two  feet  ten  inches  wide,  numbering  about  one  hundred  sixty,  six 
or  eight   of  which  are  to  be  left  for  free  seats ;  the  stoves  to  be 


24 

placed  in  the  porch,  the  pipes  extending  over  the  side  aisles  to  the 
chimneys,  which  are  to  be  placed  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit. 

The  committee  estimate  the  expense  of  fitting  up  the  house  in 
the  manner  above  described,  including  the  expense  of  enlarging 
the  windows,  furnishing  the  blinds  for  the  upper  part  of  the  house, 
painting,  carpeting,  cushions,  stoves  and  chandelier,  &c,  at 
$3,120.00;  of  fitting  up  the  vestry  and  room  or  rooms  connected 
therewith,  and  blinds  for  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  at  $500.00 ; 
turning  the  house,  furnishing  the  timbers,  removing  and  setting 
the  underpinning,  and  finishing  what  is  now  the  north  side  of  the 
house,  at  $550.00.  The  old  pews  having  been  appraised  at  $1,994.00, 
makes  the  whole  sum  to  be  raised  $6,164.00. 

The  committee  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  sum  thus  to  be  raised 
should  be  divided  into  shares  of  ten  dollars  each  and  subscribed 
for  by  persons  wishing  to  become  purchasers  of  pews,  or  interested 
in  the  house  thus  to  be  fitted  up,  and  to  be  paid  in  installments  in 
such  sums,  and  at  such  times,  as  may  be  ordered  by  a  committee 
appointed  by  the  society  for  that  purpose, — only  so  much  of  said 
sum  to  be  paid  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  purposes  aforesaid. 

After  the  adoption  of  this  report  this  committee  was  in- 
structed to  call  a  town  meeting,  if  it  thought  it  expedient, 
"to  see  if  the  town  would  give  the  society  liberty  to  let 
down  the  gallery  floor  three  feet,  and  the  lower  floor  two 
feet."  It  is  not  certainly  known  what  is  meant  by  "letting 
down  the  lower  floor  two  feet."  It  is  the  recollection  of 
one  of  our  older  citizens  that  it  was  proposed  to  drop  the 
floor  two  feet  below  the  sills  of  the  house.  If  this  was  the 
scheme  it  was  abandoned.  Ralph  E.  Tenney,  Joel  Hardy, 
and  William  P.  Saunderson  were  appointed  a  committee 
"to  carry  forward  and  superintend  the  changes  that  were 
made,  with  authority  to  make  such  variations  as  they 
might  think  necessary  and  indispensable."  Under  the  au- 
thority given  in  the  last  clause  this  committee  changed  the 
length  of  the  wall  pews  from  what  was  voted  to  their  pres- 
ent length.  Another  committee  was  appointed  "to  furnish 
a  plan  of  meeting  house  stock,  with  the  necessary  condi- 
tions and  regulations,"  and  another  "to  obtain  a  convey- 
ance from  the  town  to  the  society  of  such  parts  of  the 
meeting  house  as  the  town  have  voted  to  release  and  con- 
vey to  the  society." 


25 

The  deed  is  here  q-iven  that  it  may  be  known  just  what 
our  title  is  to  this  house  of  worship ;  it  is  as  follows : 

Know  all  by  these  presents  that  the  town  of  Hollis,  in  the 
county  of  Hillsborough,  and  the  state  of  New  Hampshire,  by  their 
agents  duly  authorized  and  empowered  by  a  vote  of  said  town,  in 
consideration  of  one  dollar  paid  to  said  town,  the  receipt  whereof 
is  hereby  acknowledged,  and  in  consideration  of  the  engagements 
entered  into,  liabilities  assumed  and  incurred  by  the  Evangelical 
Congregational  Society  in  Hollis,  release  and  convey  to  said  so- 
ciety the  upper  part  of  the  old  meeting  house  in  said  town,  to  a 
point  nine  feet  and  nine  inches  from  the  lower  floor  thereof,  and  the 
west  or  belfry  porch,  and  also  the  northwesterly  part  of  the  lower 
story  of  said  house  extending  thirty-two  feet  from  the  north-west 
corner  thereof,  as  it  now  stands,  measuring  on  the  inside  of  the 
same,  and  extending  twenty-seven  feet  to  the  east,  so  as  to  contain 
eight  hundred  sixty-four  square  feet  on  the  floor,  for  public  wor- 
ship, religious  instruction  and  purposes  therewith  connected,  with 
the  right  to  said  society  to  turn  around  said  house,  and  remove  it 
from  its  present  position  so  that  the  belfry  porch  will  stand  to  the 
south  instead  of  the  west  as  it  now  stands,  and  also  the  right  to 
take  off  and  remove  from  said  house  the  south  and  east  porches  and 
convert  them  to  the  use  of  said  society,  and  also  to  do  any  and  all 
acts  in  regard  to  said  house  which  may  be  necessary  and  expedient 
to  remodel,  fit  up,  and  finish  the  same  in  the  manner  contemplated, 
and  also  the  right  to  erect  and  construct  two  chimneys,  in  that  part 
of  said  house  reserved  and  designed  for  town  purposes,  so  as  to  ac- 
commodate both  said  society  and  town. 

This  said  release  and  conveyance  is  made  upon  the  condition 
that  the  said  society  shall  pay  or  tender  each  of  the  pew  holders  or 
owners  if  living  in  Hollis,  before  any  change  or  alteration  in  said 
house  shall  have  been  commenced,  the  sum  or  sums  of  money  at 
whichhisor  her  pew  shall  be  appraised  by  animpartialcommitteeof 
three,  to  be  appointed  by  said  town  for  the  purpose,  and  that  the 
expense  of  said  appraisal  shall  be  paid  by  said  society,  and  in  case 
any  pew  holder  or  owner  shall  not  have  been  paid  or  had  tendered 
to  him  or  her  the  sum  at  which  his  or  her  pew  shall  have  been  ap- 
praised as  aforesaid,  said  society  shall  pay  such  pew  holder  or  owner 
the  sum  of  money  at  which  his  or  her  pew  shall  have  been  ap- 
praised whenever  the  same  shall  be  demanded  of  the  treasurer  of 
said  society.  And  it  is  further  understood  and  agreed  that  the  said 
town  at  their  own  expense  shall  shingle  anew  said  house  as  soon  as 
it  can  conveniently  be  done,  and  that  said  society  shall  ever  after 
keep  in  good  repair  the  roof  of  said  house  and  all  other  parts  of  the 
outside  thereof  except  the  west  or  belfry  porch  as  it  now  is  or  may 


26 

hereafter  be  constructed,  which  west  or  belfry  porch  after  the  same 
shall  be  fitted  up  and  finished,  shall  be  kept  in  repair  by  said  town. 
And  it  is  further  agreed  that  the  part  of  said  house  used  for  town 
purposes  shall  never  be  used  by  said  town,  or  their  permission,  for 
purposes  inconsistent  with  or  injurious  to  the  appropriate  and 
convenient  use  on  Sabbath  days  of  that  part  of  said  house  hereby 
conveyed.  And  said  town  hereby  grants  to  said  society  the  right 
to  remove  said  house  so  far  north  from  where  it  now  stands  as  may 
be  done  without  encroaching  upon  the  rights  of  individuals,  rela- 
tions of  deceased  persons  buried  in  the  burying  ground  directly 
north  of  said  house. 

This  deed  is  signed  by  William  P.  Saunderson,  David  J. 
Wright  and  William  N.  Tenney,  selectmen,  and  is  dated 
June  22,  1849. 

The  house  was  turned  and  moved  a  little  to  the  north  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  a  man  from  Nashua,  skilled  in 
moving  buildings,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  he  could  do  no 
work  until  he  was  rilled  with  liquor,  and  though  in  a  very 
intoxicated  condition  he  could  tell  just  where  to  place  the 
rollers,  and  if  one  was  deflected  from  its  position  by  a 
hair's  breadth  he  was  sure  to  see  it.  The  contractor  was 
Abner  Andrews,  also  of  Nashua. 

In  due  time  the  house  was  completed  as  we  now  have  it, 
and  ready  for  dedication  in  November,  the  services  being 
held  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  the  15th  of  that  month.  Al- 
most all  the  town  was  here.  Such  occasions  usually 
brought  together  more  or  less  people  from  adjoining 
towns,  especially  ministers.  But  it  being  on  Thanksgiving 
Day  it  is  not  likely  that  many  strangers  were  present.  It 
is  remembered,  however,  that  Rev.  Humphrey  Moore  of 
Milford  was  here,  and  congratulated  the  people  on  their 
pleasant  house  of  worship,  and  that  they  had  shown  good 
sense  in  making  the  floor  level  instead  of  with  a  slope  as 
was  the  custom  in  many  places  at  that  time.  There  was  ? 
large  choir  in  the  gallery,  of  which  three  persons  only  are 
now  known  to  be  living.  It  was  a  glad  day,  and  one  long 
to  be  remembered.  The  housewives  somehow  managed 
to  leave  their  Thanksgiving  dinners  in  the  brick  ovens  or 
elsewhere  to  keep  them  warm,  which  without  doubt  they 


27 

enjoyed  and  which  gave  them  just  as  toothsome  a  feast  as 
though  they  had  remained  at  home.  The  men  were  here,too, 
rejoicing  in  their  completed  labors  for  the  improvement  of 
the  sanctuary.  It  would  be  too  much  to  say  that  all  were 
satisfied  with  what  had  been  done.  Some  were  strongly 
opposed  to  any  change ;  others  desired  a  different  plan. 
Human  nature  showed  itself  to  have  been  the  same  as  it 
has  since  manifested  itself.  But  the  majority  must  rule,  and 
time  has  healed  the  wounds  and  justified  what  was  done. 
We  were  given  a  house  of  worship  that  we  have  used  these 
fifty-five  years,  and  the  workmanship  and  material  were  so 
good  that  it  has  required  hardly  any  expense  since  that 
date  except  for  painting  and  shingling.  It  should  be 
noted,  however,  that  in  1892  the  timbers  of  the  belfry  had 
become  so  weakened  by  decay  that  the  whole  was  taken 
down  and  rebuilt  in  exactly  its  former  shape.  In  1899  the 
steps  in  front  of  the  meeting  house  were  relaid, — both 
jobs  being  done  by  the  town. 

The  whole  cost,  including  the  payment  for  the  old  pews, 
for  the  use  of  the  Baptist  meeting  house  (a  Baptist  meet- 
ing house  was  built  in  1838  on  or  near  the  spot  where  the 
town  hall  now  stands,  which  ceased  to  be  used  and  was  re- 
moved in  1869),  while  the  changes  were  being  made,  for 
carpeting,  upholstering,  pulpit  furniture,  stoves,  settees  for 
the  vestry,  and  blinds,  was  $7,059.98.  The  receipts  for  the 
sale  of  pews  and  unused  lumber  covered  this  amount  into 
$7.85,  and  this  deficiency  was  afterwards  met  by  the  sale  of 
the  rubbish  fuel  that  had  accumulated. 

One  item  in  the  bills  was  $48.35  for  '"furnishing  the  min- 
ister's study,"  which  was  the  room,  or  part  of  it,  now  occu- 
pied for  the  Social  library.  Formerly  there  was  a  door  on 
the  east  side  of  the  meeting  house  opening  directly  into 
the  town  hall.  After  entering  there  was  a  door  at  the  left 
opening  into  the  selectmen's  room,  which,  with  the  minis- 
ter's study  were  thrown  together  in  1887,  making  the  pres- 
ent library  room.  At  just  what  date  the  Social  library  be- 
gan to  use  the  "minister's  study"  has  not  been  ascertained, 


28 

but  it  was  long  before  the  partition  between  it  and  the  se- 
lectmen's room  was  taken  away,  probably  soon  after  1852. 

Some  acts  of  the  society  soon  after  these  changes  were 
made  are  worth  recording,  as  showing  the  changes 
wrought  by  time.  In  January,  1850,  it  was  voted  "that  the 
standing  committee  light  the  lecture  room  for  the  singers 
as  they  think  best,  and  furnish  wood ;"  "that  the  lecture 
room  be  used  for  religious  purposes  and  singing  meetings, 
and  not  for  every  purpose  ;"  that  "the  singers  be  authorized 
to  appoint  a  person  or  persons  to  keep  order  at  singing 
meetings,  and  have  the  same  power  to  control  the  room  at 
such  meetings  as  a  person  has  to  control  his  own  home ;" 
and  "that  the  proprietors  of  the  old  library  have  liberty  to 
place  the  same  in  the  lecture  room,  or  in  the  study  room, 
if  it  be  Mr.  Gordon's  desire."  A  year  later,  or  in  1851,  it 
was  voted  "that  the  standing  committee  be  authorized  to 
allow  schools  to  be  kept  in  the  vestry  room  at  proper 
hours,  responsible  persons  coming  forward  and  engaging 
to  see  that  the  room  is  properly  used,"  and  "that  the  com- 
mittee be  directed  to  allow  singing  schools  to  be  kept  in  the 
vestry  room,  and  that  they  be  authorized,  in  case  two 
schools  shall  be  taught  in  the  same  week,  to  settle  the  even- 
ings that  each  school  shall  occupy  the  room,  so  that  no 
collision  may  take  place,  provided  the  parties  cannot  agree 
themselves."  It  is  remembered  that  private,  or  select 
schools  as  they  were  called,  were  kept  for  a  few  terms  m 
the  vestry,  and  afterwards  for  many  years  in  the  town  r?all. 
The  schools  were  mostly  in  the  autumn  only,  and  were 
taught  in  1850  by  John  H.  Goodale ;  1851  by  Charles  G. 
Farrar  and  Miss  Sarah  C.  Worcester ;  1852  by  George 
Clary ;  1853  by  Charles  C.  Torrey ;  1855  by  Andrew  Jewett 
of  Pepperell;  1857  by  Miss  Lucy  E.  Worcester;  1859  and 
1860,  and  the  winter  between,  by  Henry  H.  Huse ;  1861  by 
B.  Cole ;  1864  by  Edward  F.  Johnson  and  Miss  Sarah  A. 

Flagg;  David  Worcester;  1873  by  Miss  Carrie 

F.  Proctor ;  1874  by  Miss  Marion  E.  Center. 

There  were  singing  schools  in  the  vestry  nearly  every 


29 

winter  for  many  years,  but  it  seems  strange  that  rival 
schools  could  have  been  supported,  and  yet  it  is  a  fact  that 
they  were,  perhaps  all  the  more  successfully  because  they 
were  rivals. 

During  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Hiram  L.  Kelsey,  the  former 
pulpit  was  exchanged  for  the  present  one,  and  in  L883  the 
house  was  re-upholstered  and  frescoed,  and  the  organ 
moved  to  the  rear  of  the  pulpit  platform,  into  a  projection 
built  on  the  rear  of  the  house,  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000.  In 
July,  1890,  memorial  windows,  of  stained  glass,  the  gift  of 
different  individuals,  except  those  in  front,  which  were  fur- 
nished by  the  town,  were  placed  in  position. 

The  agitation  for  a  town  house  separate  from  the  meet- 
ing house,  which  began  in  1803,  was  renewed  about  eighty 
years  after.  The  opposition  prevented  action  in  favor  of 
it  until  1886,  when  a  vote  to  build  was  obtained,  and  our 
present  structure  erected.  Overtures  were  then  made  to 
the  town  by  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  for  a  long  lease  of 
the  old  town  hall,  and  when  matters  were  satisfactorily 
adjusted  in  1887,  they  fitted  up  the  hall  and  its  connecting 
rooms  for  their  special  uses,  as  we  now  have  them. 

In  what  has  thus  far  been  said  you  have  a  history  of  this 
town,  and  meeting  house.  Time  would  fail  to  tell  all  that 
has  taken  place  under  its  roof,  of  the  sermons  that  have 
been  preached,  the  distinguished  speakers  that  have  been 
heard  from  pulpit  or  platform,  of  the  meetings  that  have 
been  held  for  religious,  political,  or  philanthropic  purposes, 
of  the  discussions  that  have  been  heard  on  matters  per- 
taining to  the  interests  of  the  town,  some  of  them,  per- 
haps, in  more  of  a  spirit  of  acrimony  than  of  love ;  of  the 
teachers  who  have  taught,  and  the  pupils  who  have  been 
instructed,  in  vestry  or  town  hall ;  of  plans  that  have  been 
presented  that  came  to  an  untimely  end,  and  of  others  that 
were  carried  out  for  the  improvement  of  conditions ;  of  the 
purposes  of  reformation  that  have  here  been  formed  ;  of  the 
souls  that  have  been  saved,  and  the  saints  who  have  been 
confirmed  in  the  faith  ;  of  the  influences  for  good  that  have 


30 

gone  out  to  bless  this  community,  and  even  the  great  world 
at  large.    The  story  would  be  too  long  for  this  occasion. 

With  two  practical  suggestions  I  close.  The  methods 
adopted  in  1746,  1804,  and  again  in  1819,  for  building  and 
remodelling  this  house  were  well  enough  for  those  times, — 
perhaps  the  best  that  could  have  been  devised.  Most  of 
the  families  of  town  then  attended  church ;  if  there  were 
strangers  here  they  came  with  the  families  whose  homes 
were  here  and  occupied  seats  with  them.  Summer  board- 
ers were  then  unknown ;  front  seats  were  the  best  seats, 
and  the  wing  pews  were  the  pews  of  honor.  When  a  fam- 
ily left  town  it  disposed  of  its  pew  as  soon  as  it  did  of  its 
real  estate.  But  conditions  have  changed.  Many  of  the 
pew  owners  have  left  town  and  abandoned  their  pews,  and 
in  some  cases  it  is  difficult  to  find  or  reach  the  owner ;  peo- 
ple have  developed  a  dislike  to  the  front,  and  especially  the 
wing  pews.  But  worse  than  all,  many  families  living  here 
who  own  pews  are  seldom  at  church,  and  yet  they  wish  to 
hold  them,  so  it  is  difficult  to  rent  sittings.  They  are  will- 
ing their  seats  should  be  occupied  without  remuneration 
when  they  are  not  present,  but  they  want  their  use  when 
they  are  here.  A  new  family  coming  to  town  doesn't  like 
to  be  dependent  on  the  courtesy  of  others. 

The  solution  of  the  problem  presented  by  the  situation 
is  not  easy>  it  is  admitted,  but  if  all  the  pews  were  owned  by 
society  and  annually  rented  they  would  be  taken  only  by 
those  who  attend  church  more  or  less,  so  there  would  be 
permanent  sittings  for  all.  Or,  better  yet,  if  the  pews  were 
free  and  one  could  sit  where  he  pleased,  provided  the  seat 
was  not  preoccupied,  it  would  be  an  incentive  to  some  to 
come  to  the  house  of  God  who  now  seldom  darken  its 
doors. 

And  when  one  comes  to  think  of  it,  is  there  not  an  ab- 
surdity in  the  present  three-headed  arrangement  of  our  ec- 
clesiastical affairs  of  pew  owner,  society,  and  church?  It 
may  be  said  that  their  offices  are  distinct ;  so  they  are,  but 
their  interests  are  the  same.     The  society  has  the  title  to 


31 

the  property  as  a  whole,  the  pew  owners  to  its  different 
sections,  or  as  one  of  those  said  in  L849  who  objected  to 
selling  his  pew,  he  owned  that  spot  clear  up  to  the  heavens 
and  down  to  the  nether  regions.  It  would  he  possible  for 
the  society  practically  to  drive  out  the  pew  owners,  as  was 
actually  done  in  one  of  the  towns  of  this  state  about  thirty 
years  ago.  In  many  instances  the  society  and  the  church 
have  not  harmonized,  resulting  in  their  disruption.  It  is 
true  that  old  customs  are  more  easily  followed  than 
changed,  that  it  is  easier  to  go  in  the  ruts  than  to  get  out 
of  them:  but  changes  and  improvements  have  been  made 
or  we  should  still  be  worshipping  in  the  old  "barn  meeting 
house.'-  and  sitting  in  the  old  square  pews. 

I  believe  the  citizens  of  this  town,  almost  without  excep- 
tion, are  proud  of  the  fact  that  we  have  a  house  of  wor- 
ship that  is  so  pleasant  and  comfortable.  It  is  noticeable 
that  when  property  is  advertised  in  the  country,  the  seller 
is  always  sure,  if  the  facts  warrant,  to  say  it  is  near  post- 
office,  school,  and  church,  as  though  the  three  were  desir- 
able and  important.  The  maintenance  of  religious  wor- 
ship adds  largely  to  the  value  of  property.  Now  if  a  meet- 
ing house,  and  religious  services  in  it  each  Lord's  day,  are 
desirable,  would  it  not  be  well  for  every  citizen  to  have  a 
place  in  the  house  of  worship,  and  habitually  be  in  that 
place?  If  it  is  worth  while  to  maintain  religious  worship 
it  ought  to  be  worth  the  while  of  every  able-bodied  person 
not  necessarily  detained  to  take  part  in  it.  Would  not  a 
revival  of  the  old  customs  of  church  attendance  be  for  the 
welfare  of  the  town  as  well  as  of  the  individuals  them- 
selves? Or,  have  we  so  far  advanced  in  our  religious  at- 
tainments that  some  of  us  no  longer  need  the  benefit  that 
others  receive  from  habitually  joining  in  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary? 

I  commend  to  you  the  spirit  of  one  of  our  citizens  of 
former  days  who  one  week  had  a  heated  controversy  with 
his  minister,  in  which  both  became  considerably  heated. 
But  on  the  following  Sunday  the  parishioner  was  in  his  pew 


32 

as  usual, — much  to  the  surprise  of  one  who  had  witnessed 
the  tilt.  He  told  him  he  didn't  expect  to  see  him  there, 
when  the  instant  reply  was  "I'd  have  ye  understand,  sir, 
that  my  quarrel  was  with  the  man,  and  not  with  the  gos- 
pel," and  so  he  was  in  his  usual  place.  I  also  commend 
to  those  who  so  readily  find  an  excuse  for  non-attendance 
in  their  impaired  faculties,  the  habits  of  one  of  the  good  old 
dames  of  this  town  (Mrs.  Sarah  Heminway  Holden),  who 
was  so  deaf  she  could  hear  nothing  from  her  pew,  and  so 
was  not  ashamed  to  go  into  the  high  pulpit  in  the  presence 
of  the  whole  congregation,  and  in  a  chair  at  her  pastor's 
side  listen  to  and  take  part  in  the  services.  I  also  com- 
mend to  you  the  spirit  of  Captain  Daniel  Bailey,  another 
of  our  citizens,  who  one  Sunday  morning  was  thrown  from 
his  wagon  in  his  dooryard  just  as  he  was  starting  for 
church.  He  was  considerably,  but  didn't  think  at  the 
time  seriously,  injured.  But  he  declared  he  wouldn't  let 
that  old  horse  cheat  him  out  of  the  privilege  of  going  to 
meeting,  and  so  he  came.  But  the  injury  was  more  se- 
rious than  he  supposed,  so  that  ever  after  he  was  com- 
pelled to  use  crutches.  His  custom  for  years  was  to  have 
his  family  place  him  in  his  wagon  on  Sunday  mornings, 
when  he  would  drive  to  church  as  aforetime,  where  willing 
hands  would  lift  the  body  of  the  carriage  from  the  forward 
wheels  and  draw  it  to  the  stone  steps,  enabling  him  com- 
fortably to  make  his  way  into  the  meeting  house.  If  all 
today  were  of  a  similar  mind  we  should  have  on  each 
Lord's  day  a  congregation  nearly  as  large  as  it  is  today. 


APPENDIX. 


[Contributed  by  Cyrus  F.  II urge.] 

In  Hillsborough  County  Records,  Province  of  New 
Hampshire,  Vol.  1.  Feb.  1772,  a  deed  is  found  given  by 
Rev.  Daniel  Emerson  to  the  parish  committee,  covering 
one  acre  and  fifty-three  rods  "on  which  the  meeting  house 
now  stands."  Its  north  and  south  boundaries  as  de- 
scribed, show  thai  the  common  had  been  extended  before 
that  date. 

Rev.  Prof.  Ralph  Emerson,  in  1847«  preached  in  this 
house  the  funeral  sermon  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith;  the  funeral 
services  of  Rev.  Pliny  I'..  Day,  D.D.,  were  attended  here  in 
1869;  of  Rev.  James  Laird  in  1ST  1 .  The  bell  was 
tolled  in  1852  when  the  news  of  the  death  of  Daniel 
Webster  reached  town.  In  1865  Rev.  Pliny  B.  Day, 
preached  a  sermon  in  memory  of  President  Lincoln,  and 
Rev.  Frank  D.  Sargent.  Aug.  s,  1XK.">,  one  in  memory  of 
Gen.  l\  S.  Grant.  At  different  times  Hon.  J.  B.  Grinnell. 
William  H.  Prescott,  S.  P.  Adams,  B.  F.  Aver,  Hon.  H.  W. 
Blair  and  Janus  F.  Briggs  have  addressed  the  people  in  the 
town  hall.  The  Abolitionists  in  1852  were  barred  from  the 
church  when  two  colored  men  came  here  soliciting  funds 
to  aid  the  fugitive  slave  Anthony  Burns;  after  consider- 
able parleying  the  town  hall  was  opened  for  their  use.  In 
1856  the  anti  and  pro-slavery  feeling  ran  so  high  that,  for 
a  short  time  during  the  presidential  campaign,  three  or 
four  political  meetings  were  held  each  week  in  the  town 
hall,  one  of  them  being  followed  by  a  barbecue. 

A  temperance  society,  called  The  Young  People's  Cold 
Water  Union,  was  organized  here  in  October,  1841;  at  dif- 


34 

ferent  times  two  hundred  seventy-three  persons  joined  it. 
In  November,  1857,  the  Hollis  Temperance  Association 
was  formed,  and  in  January,  1871,  the  Hollis  Temperance 
Society.  Eighty  names  of  members  of  the  latter  society 
have  been  preserved. 

The  Hollis  Agricultural  Society  was  organized  under 
this  roof,  as  was  its  successor,  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry ; 
so  also  the  Golden  Cross,  the  Good  Templars,  the  W.  C. 
T.  U.,  and  perhaps  others  also. 


DATE  DUE 


MUWRBHHf 

PHOTOMOUNT 

PAMPHLET  BINDER 

Manufactured  by 

GAYLORD  BROS.  Inc. 

Syracuse,  NY. 

Stockton,  Calif. 


